Verse of purification

The Verse of purification (Arabic:آية التطهير) refers to verse 33:33 of the Quran, the central religious text in Islam. The verse concerns the status of purity of the Ahl al-Bayt (lit.'people of the house'), the last passage of which reads:

God only desires (innama yuridu llahu) to remove defilement (rijs) from you, O Ahl al-Bayt, and to purify you completely.

The most prominent members of the Ahl al-Bayt are the Islamic prophet Muhammad, his daughter Fatima, his cousin and son-in-law Ali, their sons Hasan and Husayn, followed by the Twelve Imams. Muslims disagree as to who belongs to the Ahl al-Bayt and what political privileges or responsibilities they have. Shia Islam limits the Ahl al-Bayt to the Muhammad, his daughter Fatima, her husband Ali, their two sons Hasan and Husayn, and the Twelve Imams. There are various views in Sunni Islam, though a typical compromise is to include also Muhammad's wives in the Ahl al-Bayt. The verse of purification is regarded by Shia Muslims as evidence of the infallibility of the Ahl al-Bayt. However, given the context of the verse, most scholars, both Sunni and Shia alike would agree that Muhammad's wives are specifically being addressed as Ahl al-Bayt in this verse.